"Educated comrades can differentiate between good and acceptable morals and bad morals. It is out of these reasons that disciplined communists who emulate the late Samson Phophi lead a noble and corruption-free life."
The South African Communist Party's (SACP) provincial executive committee member, Adv Thixedzwi Maphiswana, recently addressed hundreds of people during the annual Samson Phophi Memorial Lecture at Sinthumule High School at Ha-Ramantsha village.
"If Samson Phophi were still alive today, I am sure he wouldn't have been involved in the VBS scandal and state capture," he said. "From his life, the politicians of today must learn to prioritise service delivery and stop being involved in corruption and fraudulent activities."
He added that every citizen could learn more lessons from the life of Samson Phophi. "He was highly educated, which also tells the youth of today that they should prioritise education as opposed to tenders. Education will liberate them from poverty. Education will make it easy for them to become successful entrepreneurs as opposed to a narrow, short-term tenderpreneur approach to business. Education will put them in the favourable environment of the capacity to be employable."
Samson Phophi was born at Ha-Rabali village in 1960 and later moved to Mauluma village, where he attended Tswime Secondary School. In 1980, he obtained a BA Education at the then University of the North. "He was involved in the ANC's underground activities because he believed in liberating South Africa from the chains of apartheid," Adv Maphiswana said. "He was an education specialist and at the forefront in the establishment of SADTU. At the time of his passing away, he had established himself as a society builder."
The SACP's chairperson of Alpheus Malivha district (Vhembe region), Mavhungu Luruli-Ramakhanya, said that Phophi had taught the students the history of the struggle and he had arranged workshops for political classes in the district.